


Steeped in crimson

by DewingedAngel



Category: VIXX
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, M/M, Polyamory, Vampire Hunters, Vampires, lovers to enemies to lovers as well
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:09:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24246283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DewingedAngel/pseuds/DewingedAngel
Summary: Two years after tragedy strikes and he's left without a partner, Taekwoon retreats behind the scenes — collecting and gathering information about new vampire sightings, crafting stakes and other weapons. But, when ghosts of his past return to haunt him, he's left reeling with the force of his decisions past and those yet to be made.
Relationships: Cha Hakyeon | N/Han Sanghyuk | Hyuk/Jung Taekwoon | Leo
Comments: 8
Kudos: 15





	Steeped in crimson

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bhar_VIXX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/bhar_VIXX/gifts).



> I was contemplating whether or not I even want to write this for multiple reason, one of the main being that no matter what I cook up with vampire settings, it's never going to live up to immortals or Incarnadine, for myself. I still don't think I'll manage to ever be satisfied with it, even though I've sort of already fallen in love with the characters and their decisions and everything in my head. I guess, I'm just not sure if everything that I've imagined will translate well into words. 
> 
> But, then again, I also really wanted to try my hand at this because I do love me some vampires. And I got so deep into it that I'm now very well acquainted with the different ways with which I can save myself from vampires 😂
> 
> Right, moving on, this is technically a birthday gift to one of my closest friends. In these past six years, I haven't failed to give you a physical present, but since I cannot do that this time, this will be my present to you. Also, lol, I know I said I'll be leohyuk, but don't ask me how the hell it ended up ot3 😂😂
> 
> I love you, Bharvi. Happy Birthday 💜

Taekwoon blinked blearily at the computer screen, his right hand poised on the mouse, and yawned loudly. The words were all beginning to merge into a big black blob and his brain was on the verge of snapping. He sighed, dragging a hand through the knots of his silver hair and pulled out the nondescript hair tie holding it all together and knotted his hair instead. He then pushed a foot against one of the legs of the wooden workstation and rolled back in his barely comfortable office chair. 

_ Fuck _ , he was exhausted. And the low susurrus surrounding the floor coupled with a severe lack of rest and the dull, pounding pain in his left leg was only serving to grate on his nerves irritably.

He leaned against the headrest of the chair and closed his eyes shut. He was contemplating taking a short nap when hesitant footsteps approached his side of the room and he cursed softly before straightening himself, and turned to look behind him.

Wonshik stood at the entrance to his cubicle, his hands behind his back. He smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "I can come back later, hyung," 

Taekwoon shook his head. He dragged a nearby stool with the foot of his right leg and patted the seat, gesturing for Wonshik to come closer. 

Wonshik looked around the floor once, a frown etched on his forehead, before sighing and settling down on the stool. "It isn't an emergency, hyung. I wouldn't mind coming back later," 

Taekwoon grunted and lifted his left leg onto a smaller stool he never failed to keep by his side. It had been a while since it acted up to that degree. "Consider it a favour to me. I badly need a distraction," 

Wonshik averted his eyes quickly from Taekwoon's leg and pursed his lips. He pulled out his garrotte and placed it on the work station. "The handle is very uncomfortable, and I'm not sure there's enough silver in the garrotte itself," 

Taekwoon picked the weapon up carefully and traced a finger delicately along the handle. It was smaller than most, and definitely not finished neatly. The wood was chipping off at the corners and the polish had faded in most places. He tsked and flicked his wrist once, watching the string of the garrotte curl halfheartedly in the air and then fall limply. "It doesn't have enough elasticity. This was not made by a professional, was it?" 

Wonshik bit his lower lip. "No," he looked away to stare at the blank computer screen instead. 

Taekwoon eyed him critically before sighing and placing the garrotte back on the table in between the two. "I need more details, Wonshik. If I can't break the magical signature, I'll have to ask the original caster to do it,"

Wonshik fidgeted with the ends of his cuffs, silver cufflinks glinted off of his black shirt. "It's a gift from someone, but they're only just learning how to craft them and I didn't want to disappoint them so I've been using this on hunts, but it's been difficult. I don't want them to know. Can you help me, please?" 

"Does that someone work for VAMP?" 

"Maybe," 

Taekwoon simply stared, playing with the string of the weapon. If Wonshik wanted to play twenty questions with him, he was more than ready.

"Yes, they're new," Wonshik sighed. "And I'm not going to tell you who it is,"

Taekwoon sighed. He wanted to remind Wonshik of their organisation's 'dating coworkers' policy, but that would only make him the biggest hypocrite. He nodded curtly, instead. "It might take me a few days to break the existing sigils and cast new ones on it," he watched him critically and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll try to make sure their essence isn't gone from it, yeah?"

Wonshik smiled gratefully, tension visibly leaving his shoulders. "Thank you so much, hyung. Can I watch you work?" 

"Don't you need to be on the field?" Taekwoon raised an eyebrow as he got up and stretched his body once. He slowly extended and flexed his left leg once, twice, thrice and nodded to himself. "I need to get to the casting room for this,"

Wonshik stood hastily. "I'll come with you," 

Taekwoon frowned at him in suspicion, but when Wonshik did not back away, he shrugged. "Your call," he said and picked up the garrotte. "Come, then," and he strode out of his cubicle, Wonshik at his heels.

It was akin to a domino effect, what happened next. The person closest to Taekwoon's cubicle stared at him with his jaw hanging when he stepped out, and the entire room followed suit promptly. The steady murmurs stopped suddenly, all the hunters paused midway with their tasks, all eyes upon Taekwoon. 

Some had been in the middle typing away reports in their computers, some printing out material, some simply talking to others, and some others dozing off. It would have been almost comical, the image, had it not been for the strange expressions on their faces.

Taekwoon frowned and turned to Wonshik, only to find him glaring threateningly at the room in general, and his frown deepened. "Wonshik," he said lowly. "What's happening?"

Wonshik snapped to face him. "Nothing. We should go. I have to go out to the field in some time," he ushered Taekwoon out of the room quickly and steered him towards the elevators and pushed the button to call on them. 

Taekwoon watched with irritation as a few people awaiting the elevators immediately turned away from him and began to murmur amongst themselves. He folded his arms across his chest and rested his hands in the crooks. He tried to listen in on their conversation when his name was dropped into it, but Wonshik was already pulling him into one of the empty elevator cars. "Wonshik," he snapped, warning dripping from each syllable. 

"I'm sorry, hyung," Wonshik dusted his clothes, "but I'm not authorised to tell you," 

Taekwoon's blood pressure shot up. "Wonshik," he almost growled. "It's an order as your mentor,"

Wonshik stared at his feet. He could feel the anger roll off of Taekwoon in waves, but he had been ordered explicitly not to speak a word of it. 

"Kim Wonshik," Taekwoon said sharply. 

"They've captured the Winter Butterfly, sir." 

  
  
  
  
  


  * . ˚ * ˚ .· ✫ ✧*



  
  
  
  
  


Taekwoon chucked the chisel he'd been using to carve a particularly stubborn piece of wood into a neat handle for Wonshik and stood abruptly, pushing the chair away with the force of his movement. A loud thud resonated in the heavy silence of the room as it fell to the ground. He kicked the legs of the table for good measure and watched as the binding sigil he had drawn on the wood shatter at the seams. 

He'd promised Wonshik he wouldn't go in search of the creature that had brought his life to a complete stand still two years ago, but he was antsy, and with each passing second, his anger was only mounting. He could feel the blood thrum sharply against the walls of his vessels, bubbling with energy that was begging to be released. 

That vampire had taken everything from him,  _ everything _ . He had only recently begun settling back into his mundane lifestyle after two excruciatingly long years, after having spent weeks and months with no rest in between searching obsessively for the creature. No information, no lead despite Taekwoon sparing absolutely no resource in search of the Winter Butterfly even got him  _ close _ . And, just like that, he was captured. 

It felt surreal to him, almost like he was walking on clouds, and a single misstep would have him plummeting rapidly to the ground. 

It simply couldn't be that easy. 

Taekwoon dropped his head into his hands and squeezed tightly, hoping to keep the splitting headache at bay. His decision was made then, his resolve set. He couldn't,  _ wouldn't _ let him slip away this time.

He rose slowly, taking the support of the edge of the table and pulled himself up from his knees. 

It was reminiscent of that morning from two years ago when he'd received the news that shattered his world the way he pushed through the crowds outside of the casting room, zipping and weaving through the floors, down hallway after hallway, until he reached the hallway the Command Center, and where the stronghold of the Association stood. 

He paused momentarily, a hand clutching at a stitch in his side, as ghosts of the past resurfaced with unhinging clarity. He still remembered the flash of cobalt blue sparks against the stark white of the walls. It was a miracle, they'd said, that he hadn't blown up the entire building. Chief Seo had needed to be hospitalised for weeks after his outburst. 

Taekwoon took a deep breath to clear his head of the haunting images and walked past the Main Office.

At the end of the long hallway, he came to a stop at a heavy iron door that was fitted with silver along the threshold. The handle was made of silver as well. A thick line of mountain ash lined the doorway. An electronic identification box was fitted to the side, and a single beam of red light flashed from it successively. 

Two hunters dressed in black were stood at each end of the door. One of the two looked on as Taekwoon approached and nodded silently. "Chief Seo is expecting your arrival, Agent Jung,"

Taekwoon paused in surprise, but reeled it back in with a nod. He pulled out the lanyard his identity card was attached to and flashed it at the pinhole camera. He watched as the red light turned into a green for access to entry and let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding. 

His fingers curled along the handle of the door and with a downward motion, he had it pulled open. A sliver of light from the inside trickled out, and he pushed against the door harder and stepped in, letting the heavy door fall back into place with a loud click. 

The corridor in front of him was the same pristine white as the rest of the building, save for the heavy air. The fluorescent lighting from the tube lights adorning the hallway stung his eyes. Puffs of dust swirled into the air with each step on the thick carpeted flooring, promoting him to close his nose with a hand. 

He walked on until he reached another similar door at the end of the corridor. Nobody was manning it, however. It requested his magical signature for entry, and he shot a spark of cobalt blue with a snap of his fingers and watched as the door swung open to reveal a staircase that lead him underground. 

Taekwoon took a deep breath and steadied himself with a hand on the heavy iron railing. The sounds of multiple pairs of heavy hunting boots sounded loudly, excited whispers and snippets of conversations floating up to him. The air was cooler, damper, thicker, and fouler. 

He descended the stairs slowly, his heart hammering away inside his ribcage, threatening to jump out of his chest entirely. He didn't know what he felt, exactly. It was with a strange mix of emotions that he reached the last step of the staircase and stepped out onto the landing. 

The murmurs of the conversation faded away as the hunters turned to look at him. And then the clapping began. The hunters in different states of enthusiasm and exhaustion all stood in a line, clapping loudly. A few wolf whistles made their way through, as well.

Taekwoon felt beyond confused. He hadn't done anything to warrant such a reaction. 

"Ah, the man of the hour," Chief Seo bustled forward and patted him on the shoulder. "Agent Jung, this wouldn't have been possible without your diligent research," he smiled broadly at him.

Taekwoon's heart stuttered to a stop, almost, only to begin beating with a new found vigour. His hands felt clammy as sweat dripped down his temples and collected at the base of his neck, dampening his clothes slightly. 

He was barely aware of Chief Seo pushing him towards the holding cells, congratulating him on his impeccable research, telling him he would be awarded, but all of that had turned into background noise. 

He could hear the blood rushing through his ears, pounding harshly against his eardrums. His throat felt parched and it only hit him then. He couldn't do it. He couldn't walk in there and watch the Winter Butterfly, not without wanting to rip him to shreds for having taken Hakyeon away from him. His wounds were still very raw.

He had questions he needed answered. He needed to know  _ why _ . Why did he take Hakyeon away from him only to kill him in the end, why did he not kill Taekwoon as well, why did he not rise up to any of Taekwoon's baits, why was he making him suffer so much? And for that, he needed to tamp down on his anger. He needed time. 

He clenched his fists, and closed his eyes shut. And then promptly turned on his heels and fled the underground holding cells.

  
  
  
  
  


  * . ˚ * ˚ .· ✫ ✧*



  
  
  
  
  


Taekwoon drank heavily that night. It had been a while, and he hadn't expected just how quickly he would teeter off the edge of tipsy and venture into being all out drunk.

He stumbled back home haphazardly, only his vigorous hunter training saving his legs from oncoming vehicles and what not. He had the foresight to have left his car at the VAMP building, thankfully. 

Taekwoon climbed the stairs instead of taking the elevator. The simple idea of riding up in an elevator car made his stomach churn in anticipation. He gripped the railing tightly as he went up the flight, sighing in relief when he reached the landing to his floor. 

He leaned heavily against his door and dug for the keys in his pocket. It took him three tries to insert it correctly into the keyhole, and he hummed triumphantly when he managed to unlock it and stepped in. 

Taekwoon threw his shoes to the side and blindly groped along the wall for the switchboard. The overhead tube lights switched on, illuminating the house. 

Taekwoon dropped his bag onto the hook next to the shoe stand and pushed his feet into his home slippers. His head was pounding, and he needed some water. 

He frowned when he noticed the bed light in the living room shine dimly, and his frown only deepened when he walked in to find the silhouette of a man shrouded in near darkness, stood near the widow, curtain pushed away to let the city lights in. 

Taekwoon's hand involuntarily curled along the smooth polished surface of the handle of his whip. It had been more out of habit than necessity, but he hadn't stopped carrying his whip with him at all times. 

He carefully stepped in closer and switched on the lights properly, only to find his breath caught somewhere in the middle of his throat. 

The silhouette was beyond familiar. Taekwoon paused, his heart thundering, even as his grip on the handle of the whip tightened.

And then the man turned around.

Taekwoon stumbled backwards, his legs hitting the low coffee table, sending the small figurine of a piano that had always sat in it the center of it crashing to the ground. Energy flew from his fingers into the grooves of the handle, and the whip began to glow cobalt blue. 

Anger, confusion, relief, heart ache, betrayal, and more anger whipped through him in rapid succession and the whip came crashing through the space between the man and him. 

The man side stepped easily, holding his hands up in the air in surrender and stood, speaking a single word. "Taekwoon," 

Taekwoon's anger rose multifold at that. He hated the effect that voice had on him after everything. "Shut up," he swung his whip once again, watching as sparks of cobalt blue lit up his living room, watching as his couch split in two. "Shut up, shut up, shut up," he chanted, his voice rising in volume with each syllable. 

"Taekwoon, please," the man cried, throwing himself to the floor. His face was pained.

Taekwoon shook his head. "No," but he was sinking to the floor as well. His head fell to his chest, his hands clenched the carpet tightly. "No," 

"Taekwoon," 

"You are supposed to be dead!" Taekwoon cried. He couldn't take it. "You are supposed to be dead, Hakyeon."

**Author's Note:**

> Oooof so, Uh, Well, VAMP has a stupid acronym I came up with. Its really stupid. Vigilance Against Monsters Pvt Ltd. Don't @ me. I know how dumb that sounds 😂
> 
> Anyway. Do leave me comments and kudos if you like it enough 💜💜💜


End file.
